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Denise & Sidney

Denise & Sidney

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I just wanted to introduce myself and my cat Sidney. He was just diagnosed this morning so my head is still swimming. He's 14 yo and overweight. He has also started developing cataracts due to the diabetes. I'm overwhelmed with all the information right now. The cost is also worrying me and especially my husband. Sidney had his first insulin injection this morning. I don't know if I should go with the Lantus pen or vial. He also got an antibiotic injection for a stuffy nose. He has been sleeping since we got home around noon. I don't know if this is a normal reaction or not. His level was at 596 when we went to the vet. (sorry I haven't learned the terminology yet). Thank for reading my rambling.
 
Welcome to FDMB!

You have come to the right place! We have all been in your shoes, we know how overwhelming it is when you first get the diagnosis. Don't worry, there is a steep learning curve, but you can do this!

I don't use Lantus, I will get some help for you from someone who does. Be right back...

ETA: I asked for someone to help you from the Lantus ISG (insulin support group). Hopefully, someone will reply soon with some information about the pens vs the vials.

As far as cost, there are ways to save money and make Sidney healthier, too! Home testing will save you money and help you manage Sidney's BG (blood glucose) better. Diet is very important also. What is Sidney eating?

Read about diet and home testing, those are the places I would suggest you start. Post any questions you have and someone will be along to help you

I know, it's a lot to learn, and everything is important. Take a breath, and just try to read as much as you can handle at a time. Please post questions you have, and we will help you!
 
Hi and welcome.

We recommend the pens. While the initial cost may be higher, you will get more use and longer time out the of pens than the vial. Once opened, the clock starts ticking and a vial will go bad before you can get through it.

Here are some links to help get you started:

How to Treat Hypos
Hypo Tool Kit
Transitioning your cat from dry to wet foods
Home Testing Links and Tips
Nutrition and Diet Links
Lantus Forum
How to create a profile
How to Create a spreadsheet

I highly recommend that you read as much as you can and learn.

Here is what I typically tell newbies:


WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious cat, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat' overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

Also, if you haven't done it yet, take the time and fill out your profile. It will help when others come on and read this. Also, let us know where you live - city/state as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.
 
Hi and Welcome. I am sorry you have to be here but you are in the most, absolutely, greatest place to help Sidney!
Keep reading, and learning...ask any questions you have.
We understand how scary it is at first....but you can do it!
 
hi mischeiviose and welcome. we all felt that way when we first came here. a week or so of learning the ropes and you will feel you've had a great education and be excellent at helping your cat. Hillary and Maui's post says alot of IMPORTANT info so read that carefully.
most of us feed the proper diet, shoot insulin, test regularly, and it all becomes quite easy.
many cats make it to remission which means your cat will be diet controlled.
do you have more than one cat?
are you testing yet?
you will be getting lantus user visitors soon. they are very smart on that. listen carefully and welcome to the sugar dance.
 
Just dropping in to say hello. I don't use lantus, I'm a lev user. Hillary gave you lots of information and links to keep you busy for a while. Yes, it is overwhelming at first but little by little you will start to feel more comfortable and get a routine down.
Good Luck!
 
Please let us know how we can help. The front end of the learning curve is huge and completely overwhelming. Between the people who hang out here on the Health board and those of us over on the Lantus Board, we should be able to answer most of your questions.

Probably the most important skills right now are getting comfortable giving shots and learning to home test. If you let people here know what city you live in and what state/province, there may be a member who can help you with home testing. Those of us who spend our time over on the Lantus board are very numbers driven. Getting comfortable with home testing is essential both for Sidney's safety and so you can begin to make decisions about dosing. There is a template for setting up a spreadsheet in the Tech Support center. The spreadsheet (SS) will help you to keep track of Sidney's blood glucose (BG) test results and linking it to your signature will allow us to help you with dose decisions.

If you are not already feeding low carbohydrate (LC) canned food, consider transitioning Sidney over to this type of diet. Even the "better" dry foods have an amazing ability to raise BG levels.

Please ask questions. We'll do our best to lend a hand.
 
Thank you all for the replies. I think I'm getting the hang of giving the insulin. Of course it helps that the vet shaved two spots so I could see what I was doing. I would like to find a food that both of the cats could eat. Bacall, is a little 6 lb, 18 year old cat. She has decided that she will only eat Sidney's food. The vet had already put Sidney on Hill's prescription diet w/d before I researched anything. Sidney's down from 17 lbs to 13. I know some canned food is better than dry and I would like to be able to give him what's best for him but I also have to keep it as inexpensive as possible. I'm also going to learn how to do the home testing. I think it would probably be less stressful than crating him up to take him to the vet at least once a week. I feel like I still just ramble when I get on the board. There is so much information to digest.
 
I'd immediately stop any diet food. I gave my cats diet food, and swear that the high carb content is what made my cat diabetic. And people on here told me that it is often suspected to be the cause of the diabetes. Think of human foods, as well. Did you ever notice that most diet foods are very high in carbs content (excluding Atkin's type products)? Same with pet diet foods... Too much sugar and the poor pancreas gets overworked. I guess my kitty's pancreas got fed up and decided to go on vacation and left for a while. Hoping to coax it back with the insulin...

Here's the good news - in many cats, with proper diet, the diabetes goes into remission, so you can stop giving needles. That is definitely something to hope for - so even if you are overwhelmed worrying about costs now, there is hope that the diabetes will go into remission!
 
Forgot to ask: Have you and your vet discussed dose yet? Many vets will start cats off on much too high a dose (mine did) which kept on driving the BG up higher and higher (too much insulin will raise BG as the body panics and dumps more glucose (sugar) into the bloodstream). Many people on here recommend starting with 1 unit of Lantus twice a day, and then increasing from there following a protocol that you will find in the Lantus section of the board.
 
OMG I am so upset to be here! But thankful this exisits! My cat Kaycee who is now 20 years old, Was tested today and likely diabetic ( along with my dad who was diagnosed this week) . Kaycee peed on the kitchen table yesterday and the counter today, i was able to get a urine sample and went to his vet at 7:30am with pjs on, unbrushed teeth & hair ( a friight for others) and dropped off the urine. I will get results Monday but am pretty sure he has it. my question is at his age does it make sense to put him through daily shots or let nature take its course? I know he is old and he will have to pass away at some point but he seems like he is not in pain. He is eatign and drinking fine. He lost lots of weight and in frail but he is 20. The peeing thing is new. This is my only child and he has been with me longer then my nieces & nephews. He is my life! Please let me know about ways to help senior cats recently diagnosed. thanks very much for your anticipated support that I will so need with this, Janet :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
Welcome Janet! If Kaycee is diabetic, it is absolutely worth treating him! Diabetes is very manageable in cats, and you have come to the right place to learn how to do it. Even at 20 years old, it does not have to shorten his lifespan at all. I would suggest that you read the links that Hillary put in her post further up in this thread. Start with the ones about home testing and diet. There's a lot to learn, and it's overwhelming in the beginning, but you can do it! We all have or have had diabetic cats here, and there's a lot of knowledge and experience on this site. Keep reading, and start a new thread when you have questions so others can welcome you properly and answer your questions. Be sure to let us know what the vet says on Monday.

Misschievious, I'm glad to see you say that you want to start home testing. We believe home testing is very important here, and we will help you learn how to do it. Walmart sells Relion meters (their brand) and they are a good choice....easy to use, reliable and the test strips are inexpensive. There are other good choices, the most important thing when choosing a meter is to look at the cost of the test strips...that is your biggest expense for testing, so pick a meter with inexpensive test strips.

For diet, look at Janet & Binky's food list, and pick foods that are low in carbs....below 10%, and I try to stay below 5%....the lower in carbs, the better. The Hill's w/d is a prescription food, it's expensive and dry food is not good for a diabetic cat, or any other cat for that matter! You can buy commercial canned food that is much better for both of your cats, and it doesn't have to be expensive. I feed Special Kitty, it's Walmart's brand and some of the varieties are on the low carb list...it's very inexpensive. Friskies has some low carb, Fancy Feast is a popular food here....you don't need to buy prescription food. Print out the lists and take them with you to the store.

Please don't change your cat's diet until you are home testing. This is important, because when you change to a low carb diet, your cat's blood glucose will drop, and you may need to decrease the insulin dose. If you aren't testing, you could end up in a hypo situation.
 
Laurie and Mr Tinkles said:
There are other good choices, the most important thing when choosing a meter is to look at the cost of the test strips...that is your biggest expense for testing, so pick a meter with inexpensive test strips.
Click to expand...

Just thought I'd add though that the convenience of an easier-to-use meter might be worth the additional cost. I started with the least expensive available in Canada (TrueTrack) and for me, it wasn't working out. You need a larger drop of blood (1 microlitre), and that was hard to get out of my Heart's ears. Many strips were wasted in the process, and we had to re-prick him many times to get a prick with enough blood. Now, I have the Freestyle Lite which requires the smallest blood drop size (0.3 microlitres) which makes everything easier since the smallest blood drop works. I no longer have to wait for the strip to code, and I don't have to waste multiple strips to get a single good reading instead of an error message. The stips cost more, yes, but I use far less strips, so I'm saving money. If his ears learn to bleed more, I can then maybe switch back to the TrueTrack. I don't know how easily this Relion meter works since we don't get it at Wal-Mart in Canada, but if you look at the Relions, pick one that has the smallest sample size. They do have a 0.3 microlitre one out now according to their website. My point is - smaller blood sample size can be well worth the additional upfront cost, and save you money in the long-run with fewer wasted strips.
 
That's a really good point, thanks for adding that!

I use the Relion Confirm and it requires 0.3 microliters of blood. I think the Micro requires the same, they both use the same test strips. The strips do not require coding, it reads the code automatically and you just need to look at the back of the strip box to confirm the code is correct.
 
I think I need to either make a trip across the border, or I need to beg someone to get me a Relion meter with strips and mail them over. I just checked the prices online, and yes, they are much cheaper!
 
dodgingwrenches said:
I think I need to either make a trip across the border, or I need to beg someone to get me a Relion meter with strips and mail them over. I just checked the prices online, and yes, they are much cheaper!
Click to expand...
Can you order the meter and strips online and either have them shipped to the store or shipped to you? Just a thought, I'm not sure if you can do that, but I would check!
 
Denise & Sidney said:
I just wanted to introduce myself and my cat Sidney. He was just diagnosed this morning so my head is still swimming. He's 14 yo and overweight. He has also started developing cataracts due to the diabetes. I'm overwhelmed with all the information right now. The cost is also worrying me and especially my husband. Sidney had his first insulin injection this morning. I don't know if I should go with the Lantus pen or vial. He also got an antibiotic injection for a stuffy nose. He has been sleeping since we got home around noon. I don't know if this is a normal reaction or not. His level was at 596 when we went to the vet. (sorry I haven't learned the terminology yet). Thank for reading my rambling.
Click to expand...

Strange about the cataracts this soon in his diagnosis. Actually cataracts are relatively rare in feline diabetes, unlike with dogs.

http://www.vetinfo.com/feline-diabetes-symptoms

Maybe they are caused by something else?

http://www.petplace.com/cats/cataracts- ... page1.aspx

If he has a stuffy nose did your vet mention an upper respiratory infection (URI)? If so, then lysine can help with clearing it up - you can crush it in his food. Here is a link:

http://www.holisticat.com/uri.html

Any infection will most likely raise bg levels so quite possibly his diabetes symptoms will improve as the infection clears. Just something to keep in mind.
 
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